News: Phillies flex muscle over weekend

WEEKEND GAMES: The Phillies flexed some muscle in a 2-1 weekend with wins over the Yankees and Blue Jays. Much of the muscle came via second-team bats like Brock Stassi (3-for-5, HR, 3 RBI) and Cameron Perkins (4-for-6, HR, 2 RBI). The scores:

Friday: NYY 9 PHI 4
Saturday: PHI 6 NYY 5
Sunday: PHI 10 TOR 3

To be fair, the Yanks and Jays committed quite a few blunders over the weekend (as did the Phils), but it’s nice to see some bats heat up early. Maikel Franco knocked two home runs Saturday (one outside the park, one inside the park) while Andres Blanco hit his first on Sunday. Michael Mariot (1 IP, 0 H, 5 K) and Nick Pivetta (2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K) stand out among early pitching performances.

TODAY’S GAME: The Phils dance with the Rays back in Clearwater. Game is at 1:05 p.m. Jerad Eickhoff gets his first spring start, while much of the regular offense returns for the home game. The lineup: Hernandez/Herrera/Kendrick/Saunders/Franco/Hoskins/Galvis/Holaday/Quinn.